S&CO Inc. Has $2.07 Million Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Points

• S&CO Inc. increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 18.8% to $2.07 million, now owning 17,686 shares after purchasing an additional 2,804 shares.
• Agilent Technologies has been rated with a consensus of "Moderate Buy", and current analysts have set an average price target of $139.77 per share.
• The company reported a 6.0% year-over-year revenue growth with earnings per share of $1.31 for the last quarter, surpassing expectations by $0.05.

S&CO Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,686 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 2,804 shares during the period. S&CO Inc.'s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of A. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 286.2% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 640.0% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.41% of the company's stock.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Agilent Technologies stock traded down $1.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.51. 1,887,879 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,027,710. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $116.98 and a 200 day moving average of $120.99. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $153.84. The company has a market capitalization of $32.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.23.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.92% and a net margin of 17.59%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st were issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.44%.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners upped their target price on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.77.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.